History

The consumption of corn dates back to the 5000 BC in the areas of modern central America and México. Maize originated in Central America and was introduced into Africa by the Portuguese in the 16th century. In Africa the production and consumption of maize exceeds that of other cereals such as wheat or sorghum. Today maize has become Africa's most important staple food crop and is grown by both large and small-scale farmers. The developing countries have more area given to maize cultivation than developed countries

Characteristics

• Queen of cereals due to its diverse use.
• Requires moderate climate for growth
• Grows well in loamy soils.
• Sown in June-July till mid August and harvested from mid September to February.
• Meaning depending upon country

Uses

Maize has three possible uses: as food, as feed for livestock and as raw material for industry. As a food, the whole grain, either mature or immature, may be used; or the maize may be processed by dry milling techniques to give a relatively large number of intermediary products, such as maize grits of different particle size, maize meal, maize flour and flaking grits. These materials in turn have a great number of applications in a large variety of foods.

Export and Import

Among the major exporter of corn USA stands first followed by Argentina and Brazil. Emergence of Brazil as exporter is of recent nature. Though China, South Africa, Ukraine are exporter of the corn but their share is very low. Only USA dominates the international trade of corn as exporter. And Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Mexico, Egypt, Malaysia, EU and Colombia mainly do corn Import.

Factors affecting:

• Demand  and Supply
• Weather, Temperature, Rainfall and Soil moisture
• Natural Calamities
• Productivity

Why trade corn through NDEX:

Contract size: Regular (5,000 kg)
Low transaction cost: Fixed spread of NPR 0.03 Per 1 KG
Generous leverage: On all products that are clearly detailed on the trade.
Initial margin: Rs.50, 000 (Regular)
Hedging capability: Can take long or short position from same account
Months: Feb, Apr, Jun, Aug, Nov
Season: September and October

Trading time: